2:14 pm - September 14, 2026
B2B publishers excel in redefining their value propositions and embracing change Bold pivots, like Euromoney’s shift from journalism to intelligence services, highlight adaptability AI is viewed as an asset rather than a threat, used to enhance specialised content and customer experience There is a lot to learn from B2B…
Berkshire increases stake in The New York Times to $1.1 billion Rising digital subscriptions and advertising boost publisher’s performance Investment signals confidence in media’s digital transition and subscription model Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has continued to build its position in The New York Times, extending a bet on legacy media…
Macron advocates for a unified European ban on social media use for children under 15 The EU aims to deploy a privacy-respecting age verification app by 2026 Critics highlight challenges in rolling out secure and effective age checks across member states French President Emmanuel Macron is pushing for an EU-wide…
Byron Allen cuts 35% of BuzzFeed’s workforce to improve profitability Restructuring aims to shift focus towards streaming via Local Now Company plans significant cost savings and content realignment Byron Allen has begun a sharp overhaul of BuzzFeed, cutting about 180 jobs and contract roles across BuzzFeed, HuffPost and Tasty in what amounts to roughly 35% of the workforce. The reductions, disclosed in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, are the first major restructuring since Allen’s family office took control of the digital publisher in May. BuzzFeed said the move is designed to simplify operations, lower costs and…
Highlights the importance of integrating AI in newsrooms to foster meaningful change Emphasises the need for journalists and managers to view AI as a tool for value creation Warns of cultural hurdles and stress on verifying information in the AI era Need some summer reading? This week’s newsletter comes in the form of a book review. Not perhaps a suggestion for the sun lounger, but nevertheless one that every journalist should read. It’s called AI in the News Room and it was written by Martin Schori, former head of the AI Hub at Aftonbladet in Stockholm and now the…
Berlin-based startup Beatsquares raises $2 million in seed funding to enhance its AI platform The platform converts editorial content into multiple formats across digital channels Funding will support team expansion and international growth efforts Berlin-based AI startup Beatsquares has raised $2 million (about €1.8 million) in seed funding to expand its platform for automatically repurposing editorial content across multiple digital channels. The round was co-led by IBB Ventures and XTR Capital, with participation from ddvg, Dutch media investor V-Ventures and a group of business angels. It follows a $500,000 pre-seed investment secured in late 2024. Founded in 2024, Beatsquares aims…
Suggestion for industry-focused ‘Festival of Failure’ to promote open discussion of setbacks Critique of current journalism events highlighting repetition and lack of actionable takeaways Advocates for shorter days, more networking, and panels focused on failures to foster growth and innovation “I want to start an uncomfortable conversation: Are there too many journalism events?” So said Marcela Kunova, the owner and operator of journalism.co.uk (JUK), last week. She continued: “I just looked at my agenda and JUK events calendar. It’s gone out of hand. Conferences, festivals, summits, workshops, talks, congresses, study tours, awards. Dozens of great events are clustered between April…
Disney-owned 20th Television partners with Vox Media Studios to develop scripted and unscripted projects Focus on adapting journalism and podcasts from Vox Media brands for Disney+ and other outlets Partnership reflects industry trend of transforming established media content into premium streaming entertainment Disney-owned 20th Television has struck a multi-year first-look agreement with Vox Media Studios, broadening a relationship that will give both companies room to develop scripted and unscripted projects built around Vox Media’s reporting and podcast brands. The deal is expected to feed into Disney Entertainment Television outlets including Disney+, with a particular emphasis on adapting material from New…
Media Concierge Group posts £12.9m EBITDA for first full period post-acquisition Integration of National World (now Iconic Media Group) has gone smoothly, boosting performance Company aims to strengthen local titles while expanding its UK and Ireland publishing footprint Media Concierge Group has said the integration of National World has gone…
Economist launches Economist Play, a $15/month multimedia bundle combining videos, podcasts, and newsletters Strategy aims to reach a younger, gender-balanced audience with mobile-first content Emphasis on newsroom authenticity through faces and voices, moving away from anonymity The Economist has launched a lower-cost subscription bundle built around audio and video, in…
Data shows games and interactive content drive deeper user loyalty. Publishers are overestimating the importance of breaking news for app retention. Investment should focus on habit-forming features to reduce churn and build routines. I used to bristle when I worked at The Sunday Times and a friend said he had…
Der Spiegel refuses to let AI write or rewrite its articles, citing responsibility and trust. Industry faces tension between efficiency and accountability in adopting AI tools. Growing concerns over accuracy, transparency, and the future role of human journalists. Whether journalists should use artificial intelligence to write stories has become one…
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Getty Images strikes a multi-year licensing deal with OpenAI The partnership enhances ChatGPT’s image relevance and trustworthiness Shares rise as Getty aims to monetise its archive amid AI-driven disruption Getty Images has struck a multi-year licensing deal with OpenAI that will allow its pictures to appear in ChatGPT’s search and…
Complaint alleges that OpenAI and Microsoft used nearly 400 newspapers’ reporting without permission Case marks the largest coordinated legal action by local news publishers on AI training issues Suit aims to protect local journalism and challenge the use of copyrighted material in AI development A coalition of local newspaper publishers…
Forbes launches Forbes Creator to leverage social media personalities New platform combines journalistic content with creator autonomy Aims to expand reach, diversify content, and develop commercial opportunities Forbes is deepening its push into creator-led distribution, using social media personalities and specialist voices to widen its reach beyond its own platforms…
Social media and video now the primary news sources globally Trust in news drops to a historic low of 37%, with Americans trusting only 25% News organisations face the challenge of rebuilding trust amidst AI content proliferation Forget the World Cup, for news nerds this week has brought unbridled excitement…
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A debate in Lexington underscores tensions between traditional reporting and AI-assisted news The Kentucky Lantern champions human-made journalism, while Lexington Times utilises AI for coverage The dispute reflects broader challenges facing shrinking local news ecosystems across the US A small but telling dispute in Lexington, Kentucky, has opened a wider argument about the future of local journalism, especially the role of artificial intelligence in newsrooms that are trying to survive with fewer staff and thinner budgets. The spark came when Linda Blackford, editor-in-chief of the Kentucky Lantern, wrote about AI and journalism and stressed that the Lantern’s work is produced…
Bonnier News poised to become majority owner of Irish media group after partnership expansion Deal under review by regulators, with new leadership and board structure upcoming Business Post Group cites significant financial recovery and growth prospects Swedish publisher Bonnier News is set to become the majority owner of Business Post Group, in a deal that will leave founder Enda O’Coineen with a significant minority stake through his Kilcullen Family Office. The transaction marks a further step in a relationship that began in 2023, when Bonnier took a minority equity position in the Irish company. It still requires approval from the…
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Norway plans to ban social media use for under-16s by 2026 Legislation will shift age verification responsibilities to tech companies The move reflects increasing international efforts to protect children’s online wellbeing Norway is preparing to introduce one of Europe’s toughest child-safety measures online, with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre saying legislation will be brought forward by the end of 2026 to bar under-16s from social media. The proposal signals a shift from platform self-regulation to state enforcement, following similar action in Australia, and adds momentum to a global debate over whether governments can – or should – police children’s access…
Highlights the NYT’s clear strategic vision driven by purpose Emphasises the importance of distinctive content to survive amid tech dominance Questions the future of audience-first journalism in an era of declining trust When Meredith Kopit Levien speaks, the news industry does well to listen. The CEO of the New York Times has been an exemplary steward of a news brand whose success is self-evident and doesn’t need repeating here. Earlier this month she was interviewed by Ben Thompson for Stratechery, a great website that addresses the strategy of media and tech companies. It was a distinctly friendly conversation but none…
Rheinische Post links AI development with subscriber growth and digital inclusion New governance and training initiatives embed AI into daily workflows Focus shifts from experimentation to measurable commercial and editorial impacts Rheinische Post has been treating artificial intelligence less as a standalone technology project than as part of a wider effort to build a stronger digital business, with a particular emphasis on subscriber growth and internal capability. Margret Seeger, who was appointed Group Head of AI in October 2024, said at WAN-IFRA’s AI forum in Frankfurt that the publisher’s approach is designed to support its broader transformation rather than sit…
Deccan Herald introduces a CMS-integrated AI infographic tool to streamline visual storytelling. The system reduces story summarisation time from 10 minutes to 1 minute. Early adoption shows potential for expanded use in social media and visual journalism. Deccan Herald has turned to artificial intelligence to solve a familiar newsroom problem: how to give readers a quick, visual version of a story without adding a heavy production burden for editors. The Karnataka-based publisher has built a CMS-integrated infographic tool that converts finished articles into structured summaries with a single click. The system, developed as part of the 2025 Newsroom AI Catalyst…
Andreessen Horowitz invests in MTS, a live video news platform on X MTS adopts a social media-style, fragmented approach to real-time commentary The project signals a shift of tech investors into media and news ecosystems Andreessen Horowitz, the Silicon Valley investment firm, has backed a new media venture, MTS – short for Monitoring the Situation – in the latest sign of tech’s push into news and commentary built around X. The project, unveiled on Monday by Erik Torenberg, aims to track technology, finance, geopolitics and culture in real time. It reflects a broader shift among tech investors to build their…
Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal launching a new sports-business vertical in July Focuses on sport as a fast-growing asset class for investors and owners Part of a wider media trend to treat sports as a lucrative commercial sector The Wall Street Journal is preparing to enter the growing market for sports-business coverage with a new vertical aimed at executives, investors and owners looking at sport as an asset class. According to Axios, the launch will be marked in July with an invitation-only event in New York called WSJ Sports: The Next Sports Economy, timed to coincide with the…
Forbes launches Forbes Wine with original analysis, ratings, and a membership programme in June The publisher aims to build direct, engaged audiences amid a 37% traffic decline New strategies emphasise trust, curation, and education in a shifting wine market Forbes is pushing deeper into wine with a new content vertical, e-commerce operation and membership programme, as it looks to build revenue streams it can control more directly. The move — first reported by Digiday — reflects a wider shift among publishers away from reliance on search and social traffic. The strategy shows how legacy media brands are trying to convert…
Glamour Australia to debut in June as a social and video-driven platform Partnership with Myer highlights focus on beauty and lifestyle content Launch signals News Corp’s strategic push into digital lifestyle brands for younger audiences News Corp Australia is bringing Glamour back to local audiences with a digital-first Australian edition of the long-running fashion and culture title, in a move that underlines the publisher’s continued push into lifestyle brands for younger readers. Glamour Australia is due to debut in June as a social, video and digital-led platform, with Myer signed on as exclusive beauty partner. News Corp said further editorial…
Theo Bamber, from the Music Publishers’ Association, takes over as NMA chief executive Industry faces critical issues over AI misinformation and economic sustainability Bamber aims to strengthen trust and legislative gains in the UK news sector The News Media Association has chosen Theo Bamber as its next chief executive, placing a policy specialist with experience in the creative industries at the helm of the UK’s newspaper trade body at a moment of intense pressure over AI, copyright and the economics of news. Bamber is currently chief policy and public affairs officer at the Music Publishers’ Association. The NMA said he…
A Baltimore-area nonprofit takes over the historic Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to prevent its shutdown The newspaper will continue publishing with its name and print editions in Pittsburgh The deal highlights the growing role of nonprofit organisations in preserving local journalism A Baltimore-area nonprofit has agreed to take over the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, in a deal that should prevent the 240-year-old newspaper from shutting down next month. According to the Post-Gazette and a joint announcement from the parties, Block Communications will transfer the paper’s assets to the Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, the nonprofit behind the Baltimore Banner. The transaction is due to…
